Al Qaeda planned Euro 26/11s

Western intelligence agencies have reportedly uncovered an Al Qaeda plot to launch Mumbai-style attacks in Britain, France and Germany by extremists based in Pakistan.

The militants were planning simultaneous strikes in London and major cities in France and Germany, media in Britain and the United States said, citing security officials.

It was “one of the most serious Al Qaeda attack plans in recent years” and was inspired by the terror group’s fugitive leadership in Pakistan’s tribal areas, said the BBC, adding that planning for the attack was in its early stages.

The German government said it was aware of Al Qaeda’s “long-term” aim to attack Western targets, but had no evidence of any “concrete” plans and that its risk assessment of the security threat was unchanged.

Well-armed, commando-style teams of jihadists planned to seize Western hostages and murder them, in a manner similar to the siege of two Indian hotels in Mumbai two years ago, according to the BBC and newspaper reports.